An assisted airport check-in requires a passenger to present him or herself at a service counter staffed by a service representative. The representative manually performs the check-in procedure.
During an assisted check-in, the passenger normally presents travel documentation, such as a ticket, or other information providing proof of the passenger's travel arrangement. The passenger may also present personal identification, such as a passport. The service representative verifies the documentation and may input information into a computer system as part of the check-in procedure. The system may be the passenger check-in and boarding system known as Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) or any other system. The representative may also perform other tasks, such as providing the passenger with a boarding pass, assigning the passenger a specific seat on the airplane, selecting meal preferences, etc.
The check-in process also usually involves baggage handling. The passenger may provide one or more pieces of baggage to be checked, meaning to be placed in a cargo area of the plane. The baggage may be placed on a scale to be weighed, and then on a conveyor for transportation away from the service counter towards a baggage handling area at the airport. The passenger may also present carry-on baggage that the passenger intends to carry on to the plane. This baggage may also be weighed. In addition, the service representative may print or otherwise provide baggage tags for attachment to the checked and carry-on baggage.
Therefore the conventional airport check-in has performed with the assistance of a service representative.
In more recent years, some self-service check-in options have been made available to passengers. For instance, check-in kiosks have been installed at some airports, often with the intended purpose of alleviating congestion and to improve the flow of passengers through the airport. Such kiosks may allow a passenger to perform one or more procedures, including checking-in to their flight, receiving their boarding pass, selecting their seat, etc. One example type of kiosk is a Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosk. CUSS kiosks provide passenger check-in while allowing multiple airlines to maintain branding and functionality.
Although a passenger may be able to check-in using a kiosk, the passenger may still need to visit a service counter for baggage handling. Thus in this sense, the kiosks only provide a partial self-service experience. The passenger must visit both a kiosk and a service counter.
Furthermore, most existing assisted check-in counters are not easily transformable to be able to provide self-service functionality. For example, many of these counters consist of permanent furniture that is adapted for equipment and usage by a service representative located behind the counter. Accordingly, it is difficult and expensive to modify existing assisted check-in counters for self-service use.